Chapter 00047: The Thunderous Collapse of Saeliu
# The Thunderous Collapse of Saeliu
Chapter 47
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 47: The Thunderous Collapse of Saeliu
"Stop right there. This is the headquarters of the Gene Alliance. Unauthorized personnel, please leave."
Before Ding Huan could step into the first floor of the Dongxun Gene Center building, he was stopped by two security guards.
"Oh, I'm here to see Chairman Shi. We're old friends, and I came specifically today to assist him with some matters," Ding Huan said with a smile.
Looking for Shi Changqian? The chairman of the Gene Alliance?
The two guards were stunned by Ding Huan's words.
Chairman Shi's friends were not people they could afford to offend.
But how could a friend of the chairman come like this? Shouldn't there be someone accompanying him, and then...
Wait, no.
If a friend of the chairman wanted to see him, they wouldn't come here, right?
This was just the headquarters of the Gene Alliance, not Chairman Shi Changqian's residence.
After saying this, Ding Huan was already prepared to take action.
He hadn't come here today to have a polite conversation.
The Gene Alliance was ruthless, and Ding Huan was no saint either.
But before Ding Huan could make a move, one of the guards suddenly foamed at the mouth, let out a piercing scream, and his face twisted in agony...
In the next moment, the guard collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from all seven orifices.
Seeing this, the other guard immediately reached for his gun, thinking Ding Huan had attacked.
Guards at the Gene Alliance were authorized to carry firearms.
Ding Huan was also puzzled.
He had brought a gene-based poison mist, but he hadn't even used it yet.
What was going on?
Regardless, he wasn't going to let a guard point a gun at him.
"Bang!"
Before Ding Huan could act, the armed guard also let out a scream and fell to the ground.
Just like the first, blood flowed from all seven orifices, and his face twisted in agony.
Ding Huan instantly realized that this was a problem with human genes.
The gene serums on Earth were far from perfect.
If someone used a serum produced by a small company, this kind of situation could indeed occur...
Ding Huan suddenly remembered Saeliu Gene.
Wasn't this the very thing that led to the downfall of Baiyu Corporation?
He recalled that Saeliu Gene had been wildly popular for a few months before suddenly collapsing.
He couldn't remember exactly when, though.
The fact that these two guards had problems at the same time likely meant that Saeliu Gene was beginning to collapse.
The collapse of Saeliu Gene was no small matter.
This gene was strange—not only was it problematic, but it also followed a very specific pattern.
Everyone who had fused with Saeliu Gene would die at a very precise time.
If you fused with Saeliu Gene, and you were supposed to die in four months and three days, you wouldn't die on the fourth day, nor on the second day.
It could even be accurate down to the minute.
Moreover, before the gene's problems erupted, there were no warning signs.
Looking at the two guards who had died in such a gruesome manner, Ding Huan felt no sympathy, only a sense of awe.
Saeliu Gene serum wasn't something ordinary people could afford.
At the Gene Alliance, even lowly guards had the chance to fuse with this gene serum.
No wonder everyone wanted to join the Gene Alliance.
Judging from the timing of their deaths, these guards had likely fused with the serum at the same time.
...
At the same time, at the Puhai Martial Arts Square, Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi had just stepped down from the arena.
Fang Chong and Li Wanran hadn't managed to throw the martial arts robots off the arena like Lü Zi had, but they had held their ground for ten minutes without being at a disadvantage, so their scores wouldn't be low.
Just then, a scream rang out from the crowd.
A man suddenly let out a piercing cry, blood streaming from all seven orifices, before collapsing to the ground.
Even after falling, the man's face continued to twist in agony.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" someone nearby asked as they helped the man up.
"It looks like a sudden illness. Is he already dead?" someone else replied.
Almost as soon as those words were spoken, more screams erupted from the crowd, and people began dropping dead one after another.
All of them exhibited the same symptoms.
The crowd instantly descended into chaos.
Everyone's first thought was that this was some kind of infectious virus, one so deadly that it could kill in mere moments.
After all, in recent years, such highly dangerous viruses had appeared far too frequently.
The Puhai Martial Arts Square was packed with millions of people.
If chaos broke out, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Someone from the top ten academies of Blue Star noticed the situation.
Nong Yizhen, the dean of Zhenyu Academy, flew onto a recently concluded arena and spoke in a loud, clear voice:
"I am Nong Yizhen, the dean of Zhenyu Academy. Everyone, remain calm. Do not panic. This is not a virus, but a problem with a gene serum. As long as you haven't fused with this gene serum, you will be fine."
Although Nong Yizhen didn't use a loudspeaker, his voice carried clearly to everyone's ears.
The chaotic square gradually quieted down.
As the dean of Zhenyu Academy, the top academy on Blue Star, Nong Yizhen's words carried significant weight.
Once the crowd calmed down, those who had been knocked to the ground got back up.
Their faces were filled with terror.
If Dean Nong hadn't spoken, they would have been doomed.
People continued to collapse in the square, all exhibiting the same symptoms.
This only deepened the fear.
It was too much like some kind of infectious virus.
"I understand now. Those who died had all taken Saeliu Gene," a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
It seemed that Nong Yizhen's words had sparked a realization.
Or perhaps the speaker knew one of the deceased, who had only fused with Saeliu Gene.
This voice was like the sudden answer to a difficult question.
Soon, more and more people began to say that those who had died had all fused with Saeliu Gene serum several months ago.
The news that Saeliu Gene serum had problems exploded like a bomb.
Those who had fused with Saeliu Gene but hadn't yet shown symptoms grew increasingly anxious.
As people shared information, they came to a conclusion: everyone who had died today had one thing in common—they had all fused with Saeliu Gene.
Moreover, these people had all fused with Saeliu Gene on the same day, as part of the first batch.
Those who had fused with Saeliu Gene but hadn't yet shown symptoms grew even more terrified upon hearing this news.
They realized that Saeliu Gene, produced by Baiyu Corporation, had a fatal flaw.
They hadn't died yet only because their time hadn't come.
...
In the Qin family residence in Yanjing.
Qin Zhengxin coughed incessantly, but his eyes remained fixed on the television.
The TV was broadcasting the fourth round of the Blue Star Top Ten Academies' entrance examination arena battles.
Seeing the three students from Yujiang University perform effortlessly in the arena battles, Qin Zhengxin nodded in satisfaction.
"Qianxing hasn't disappointed me. He's achieved so much... cough, cough..."
"Father, your health is deteriorating day by day. Why haven't you taken the Saeliu Gene serum we bought? Do you really believe what Geng Qianxing said? He's just an ordinary teacher. I've also heard that the three Yujiang University candidates' good performance has little to do with him."
A clear female voice spoke up.
She was Qin Zhengxin's daughter, Qin Yuan.
To be honest, she was quite dissatisfied with Geng Qianxing.
The Saeliu Gene serum had taken a great deal of effort and connections to obtain.
But just as her father was about to take it, Geng Qianxing had called, saying the serum was problematic and advising her father not to take it.
As a result, her father continued to cough, and his health worsened day by day.
Qin Zhengxin coughed a few more times before replying, "Yuan'er, you might not understand Qianxing well. He's a student I personally mentored. He has the highest talent. If any of my students could one day independently develop a gene serum, it would undoubtedly be him."
"But that doesn't stop you from recovering your health. I heard he even pre-ordered Saeliu Gene serum for himself. I really don't know what he's thinking."
Qin Yuan was still upset.
"That's right, Father. What Yuan said is correct. So many people have taken Saeliu Gene without any issues. Saeliu Gene is now in such high demand that it's hard to come by. Others can't even get it, yet we have it and aren't using it."
A young man walked in through the door, also speaking with a hint of frustration.
"Huanbei, Yuan'er. Qianxing has never lied to me since he started following me..."
Qin Zhengxin was growing angry.
"Father..."
Qin Yuan sighed helplessly.
She and her brother had tried to persuade their father countless times, but he never listened.
It seemed today would be no different.
Suddenly, the live broadcast on the TV grew noisy, and the crowd in the square began to stir.
Then Nong Yizhen appeared on stage, urging everyone to remain calm...
Soon, fragmented reports about Saeliu Gene's problems began to appear on the broadcast...
Qin Zhengxin was shocked.
He quickly grabbed the phone and made a call.
After just three minutes, Qin Zhengxin put down the phone and looked at his son and daughter with a serious expression.
"News just broke from Puhai. Saeliu Gene serum has a fatal flaw. Everyone from the first batch who took it on the same day has died. Before death, they bled from all seven orifices, and their faces twisted in agony..."
Hearing this, Qin Yuan and Qin Huanbei were stunned.
They suddenly remembered their earlier words.
If they had convinced their father to take Saeliu Gene serum, then after some time, would their father also...
They didn't dare to think further.
At this moment, they could only feel deep gratitude toward Geng Qianxing.
If it weren't for Geng Qianxing, they would have lost their father and carried that regret for the rest of their lives.
(That's all for today's update.
Goodnight, friends!)
(End of Chapter)